Tuesday: Hili dialogue

May 19, 2026 • 6:45 am

Welcome to the Cruelest Day: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 and once again it’s Malcom X Day (he was born on this day in 1925, and was assassinated at 39).  May 15 was also Malcolm X Day, but today is the biggest one as some cities give people the day off. In fact, according to Wikipedia “As of present, only the cities of Berkeley and Oakland in California observe the holiday, with city offices and schools closed.”

Here’s a 4-minute video made by CBS News, which includes his famous statement about gaining freedom “by any means necessary,” a phrase that figures largely at the end of Spike Lee’s biopic about Malcolm When asked by Mike Wallace if he wasn’t afraid of being attacked, he responds, “Oh yes. . . I am probably a dead man already.” Seven months later, he was.

There’s a good 60 Minutes report on Malcolm and his death here.

It’s also Dinosaur Day and National Devil’s Food Cake Day. Why is the cake named that?  Wikipedia says this:

The origin of the name may reference the angel food cake, a light, airy sponge cake, which was popular in the late 19th century as the first recipes for devil’s food cake were being published.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the May 19 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*As America turns 250 years old, the Trump administration is pushing very hard on a narrative that this is a Christian national founded on Christianity. This was clear from a Christian-themed prayer event held Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (article archived here).

A crowd of thousands transformed a block of the National Mall into an evangelical-style worship service Sunday at an event backed by President Donald Trump and funded with millions of taxpayer dollars.

In an eight-hour lineup, speakers including top government officials framed America as a country founded to be explicitly Christian — and in danger if its population turns from their version of that religious faith.

Sitting, standing, dancing and praising with hands raised toward a blazing sun, attendees appeared riveted as speakers took the stage during “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.” Many said they were thrilled to see an event that tied the nation and its government so overtly to Christianity.

“We welcome Jesus into this place!” worship leader Andy Frank said at the start of the event, belting from a stage with ivory-colored pillars that evoked the neoclassical architecture of the capital’s federal buildings.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking by video, said civilizations before Christianity saw history as a “wheel to nowhere,” and that “our faith” of Christianity has always been the “soul of our nation.”

Trump, who is not known for quoting the Bible, read a passage from Scripture in which God promises to heal the ancient Israelites if they agree to pray and humble themselves before God.

Until Trump’s second term in office, it had been virtually unheard of in modern times for U.S. government officials to publicly tie the nation to a specific set of religious beliefs. Trump’s cabinet members have changed that norm.

On Sunday, aside from a couple of small groups of protesters outside the event, attendees at the jubilee seemed unfazed by or grateful for the government imprimatur on their faith system.

“It’s about time and sorely needed,” said Richard Nuccitelli, 87, a real estate agent from New Fairfield, Connecticut, who traveled to D.C. with four friends from his Bible study group. The Constitution, he said, doesn’t work without a “moral and Christian population.”

That is complete bullpucky.  Does Israel not work because its population is not Christian?  Do the Scandinavian countries not work because they are not “Christian” in any meaningful sense, comprising a populace that is largely atheistic?  Talking about the Constitution, what is the very First Amendment in it? One that guarantees, among other things, freedom of religion.  Many of the founders, like Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Madison, were either non-Christian deists or atheists.  It’s very sad that every atheist, Jew, Hindu, and Muslim are disenfranchised from the new Trump-approved narrative.  And I suspect that Trump is really an atheist, too: the only God he believe in is the one he sees in the mirror.

*In a NYT/Siena poll (figures here), Trump appears to have low approval on almost everything, including his overall rating as President (37% approval, 59% disapproval). The article is archived here.

Most voters think President Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran, a New York Times/Siena poll found, leaving the Republican Party on rocky political footing heading into the midterm elections as his approval rating sinks and economic concerns rise.

Majorities of voters said that the war was not worth the costs and held deeply pessimistic views about the economy.

Mr. Trump’s approval rating — a key historical predictor of how a president’s party will fare in an election — has sunk to a second-term low in Times/Siena polls of 37 percent amid the deeply unpopular Middle East conflict.

Nearly two-thirds of voters said that going to war had been the wrong decision, including almost three-quarters of politically crucial independents. Less than a quarter of all voters thought the conflict had been worth the costs.

Republicans broadly approved of Mr. Trump’s job performance and the war. But most other voters showed serious skepticism of his leadership on other top issues, including the economy and the cost of living. Sixty-four percent of all voters disapproved of his handling of the economy, long a strength for him, and majorities expressed negative views of how he was managing the cost of living, immigration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Independent voters in particular have become unhappier with Mr. Trump. Sixty-nine percent disapproved of his job performance, up from 62 percent in a January Times/Siena poll. Forty-seven percent of independents said his policies had hurt them, up from 41 percent in fall 2025.

Overall, 44 percent of voters said Mr. Trump’s policies had hurt them personally, up from 36 percent last fall.

Here’s an overall (national) view of Trump (from the NYT; credits at bottom):

If you look at the linked page with all the states, you’ll see that 7% of Democrats approve of Trump’s performance compared to 82% of Republicans. For disapproval, the relative figures are 92% and 15%. For independent voters, 26% approve and 62% disapprove: not a hearty endorsement.

The NYT also gives the overall view on the economy over time; the ratings today aren’t much different from those in 2023, when Biden was President.

Overall, given the next item, while Trump might not be re-elected if he ran again, that in fact won’t happen. What Republicans should worry about are the midterms, but see the next piece and remember that whoever runs Congress, Trump still has veto power over new bills.

*It’s usual for a President’s administration to lose seats in both the House and the Senate during the midterm elections, which take place this November. Right now the balance is precarious in the House:

House of Representatives: Republicans 220, Democrats 215

Senate: Republicans 53, Democrats 45, Independents 2 (both caucusing with Democrats).

But redistricting is starting to favor the GOP, especially after the recent Supreme Court decision to prohibit race-based gerrymandering.

From the AP:

apnews.com/…/redistricting-house-congress-gerrymander-voting-rights-f78310aed323bfeec3430f236f7b6e03Republicans have opened up an advantage in a national redistricting battle among states after court rulings that weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities and invalidated a key Democratic redistricting effort.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana as an illegal racial gerrymander has provided grounds for Republicans in several Southern states to try to eliminate House districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

Meanwhile, a Virginia Supreme Court ruling invalidated a voter-approved congressional map that Democrats had been counting on to deliver as many as four additional U.S. House seats. The court said Democratic lawmakers had violated the state constitution when placing the proposal on the ballot.

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn based on census data after the start of each decade. But an unusual spate of mid-decade redistricting broke out after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to reshape U.S. House districts to give the party an edge in the midterm elections. Democrats in California countered with their own political gerrymandering. More states followed.

But Republicans, egged on the the Supreme Court’s decision banning race-based redistricting, are fighting hard to retain control of the House.

And it’s going on in South Carolina right now:

An effort to reshape South Carolina’s congressional districts is getting its first full airing Monday in the state House, as lawmakers launch what could become a lengthy and potentially testy discussion on whether to accede to President Donald Trump’s desires for a U.S. House map that could yield a clean sweep for Republicans.

Tense debates already have played out in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana as Republicans push aggressively to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts. The ruling has opened the way for Republicans to redraw districts with large Black populations that have elected Democrats.

In South Carolina, that means targeting a seat long held by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat among the state’s seven House representatives.

I asked Grok what the consensus view was about who would constitute the House majority after the midterms, and of course it was undecided:

Expert ratings (Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, etc.) and models generally show:

  • Baseline/”solid-to-likely” projections before allocating tossups: Democrats around 207–227 seats; Republicans around 202–217 seats.

  • Tossup/competitive seats: Typically 10–20 (highly variable by rater). These will largely decide the majority.

  • Consensus-style view (e.g., 270toWin aggregating ratings): Roughly 207 D / 209 R baseline + ~19 competitive.

It looks like the Dems have a slight edge at this point, but it’s by no means certain.

*In a post called “Roaring lion plan revealed” at It’s Noon in Israel, Amit Segal, along with other venues, hint that the fighting between Iran and Israel may be about to resume (Trump has also warned Israel that “the clock is ticking”.

t’s Monday, May 18, and both the Israeli government and the IDF are hinting, through statements and actions, that they are preparing for the renewal of American strikes in Iran. Tehran has just submitted its latest diplomatic proposal: a commitment of highly questionable value to refrain from producing nuclear weapons. Conspicuously absent from the document is any mention of halting uranium enrichment or opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Diplomacy appears to be faltering, but before the next Lion-themed operation, it is worth assessing the success of the last campaign.

Yesterday, Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies and a former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, published an article with several previously unknown details about the course of the war. Along with the revelations, Hayman gives an assessment: “Despite tactical achievements, the campaign’s two main centers of gravity—the Iranian regime and the nuclear project—remain without fundamental change.”

According to Hayman, Operation Rising Lion in June 2025 “did not pave the way for a permanent solution, and Iran demonstrated a rapid and dangerous recovery capability.” In the nuclear arena, the Iranians rehabilitated the Fordow nuclear facility and accelerated the construction of “Pickaxe Mountain,” which is (allegedly) immune to airstrikes. In the missile domain, they reached a production rate of about 125 ballistic missiles per month and had accumulated a large stockpile of about 2,500 by the start of Roaring Lion. Tehran also led a rapid rehabilitation of Hezbollah by doubling its budget and renewing supply routes through Syria, despite the fall of the Assad regime.

Hayman notes a significant disconnect between the political and military echelons at the outbreak of the war. Israel’s political ambition was the overthrow of the Iranian regime, whereas the IDF’s stated military objective was limited to the attrition of its capabilities. Despite this gap, the first stage of the campaign—spanning from the initial decapitation strikes against senior leadership to the eventual cancellation of the Kurdish incursion—focused heavily on the political aspiration of regime change. The decisive factor of this phase was meant to be an incursion by Kurdish fighters, designed to inflame interethnic tensions, destabilize the government and pave the way for a new, moderate leadership. This maneuver was also intended to serve as the keystone for a broader series of covert operations with similar objectives.

However, the plan was derailed when the Kurdish operation was canceled, likely due to pressure from Turkish and Arab allies. As Hayman puts it, “Once the covert operations were removed from the equation, the primary mechanism for destabilizing the regime’s stability was eliminated.”

Following the high-level assassinations, the campaign’s second phase pivoted to degrading Iranian capabilities. A central objective here was “the destruction of the nuclear project through an innovative and unique approach”—likely requiring a widespread ground maneuver. However, Iran had anticipated the decapitation strikes and proactively decentralized its military command structure before the war. Field officers were granted preauthorization to launch ballistic missiles and close the Strait of Hormuz without waiting for top-down orders. Furthermore, a governing vacuum was averted when Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed supreme leader at the behest of the IRGC.

This decentralized authority allowed Iran to successfully close the Strait of Hormuz, securing global leverage that altered American priorities and redirected attention toward the energy markets. Meanwhile, the campaign exposed the limitations of airpower; by Hayman’s assessment, most of Iran’s nuclear and missile assets survived by being housed in deep-underground bunkers. Consequently, the ultimate “crown jewel” of the military campaign—the destruction of the nuclear program—was not fully realized before the first ceasefire took effect.

This is all depressing: not just the failures to achieve these objectives, but the sidelining of regime change in Iran, which is necessary to secure the freedom of its people. However, Trump gave Iran yet another extension to come up with a reasonable peace plan.

*Men don’t excel in all strength and endurance sports: an exception is the ultramarathon. And a big one—250 miles long—was just won by a 34-year-old woman named Rachel Entrekin, who beat the women’s course record by seven hours and the men’s record by several hours. This shows that either ultramarathons should be run with bot sexes together, or, if women have an average advantage, with winners in two categories.

Then the 250-mile race started. Entrekin, a two-time women’s champion in the event, found herself running again with the elite males, and she began wondering: “Why not you?”

Then she pulled away, crushing the course record by seven hours, beating every man and woman in the field and providing another example of how multi-day races have erased gender lines.

Now, at 34, Entrekin’s the king of Cocodona, too, or maybe something more than that.

“One of my pacers has determined that I must be from another planet,” Entrekin said in an interview, still buzzing from her historic win.

Entrekin began running in 2009, as a student at the University of Alabama, before starting a career in physical therapy. She eventually started competing in half marathons, then full ones, before hitting longer ultramarathons in the Southeast and descending into what she called “insanity.” When she moved to Washington state and looked up at the vistas, she found her calling.

“I love running up mountains,” she told the “For the Long Run” podcast in February.

Today, Entrekin is fully sponsored and has won or placed in about 100 ultras, regularly beating men. At Cocodona, that meant finishing in 56 hours, nine minutes and 48 seconds. Kilian Korth, the men’s winner, finished 78 minutes behind her.

Here’s a video of Entrenkin after the race:

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is anxious again:

Hili: How not to be afraid when everything scares you?
Andrzej: And what are you afraid of now?
Hili: The headlines in the papers.

In Polish:

Hili: Jak się nie bać, kiedy wszystko przeraża?
Ja: A czego się teraz boisz?
Hili: Tytułów gazet.

*******************

From Bad Spelling or Grammar on Signs and Notices. With EVIDENCE! (I can’t even count the errors in this one.)

From Cats Doing Cat Stuff:

From The Dodo Pet:

Masih calls out Keir Starmer for celebrating the anniversary of the Islamic Republic, and the UK for failing to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

From Luana; little kids spew religious hatred during last week’s anti-immigration march in London.  It’s free speech, but it’s no more palatable than “from the River to the sea,” or “globalize the intifada.”

From Barry, and yes, this is a real picture. I think both animals survived.

Photographer Martin Le-May was walking through a London park with his wife, hoping to show her a green woodpecker for the first time, when he snapped this incredible photo: a weasel riding a flying woodpecker.

— ContempraInn 🌹 (@contemprainn.bsky.social) 2026-05-18T09:03:21.846Z

From the Number Ten Cat, with pride:

One from my feed, and it’s adorable (there’s music):

One I reposted from The Auschwitz Memorial:

And two from Dr. Cobb. Sound up on this first one!

Trying to explain to your wife how you went out for a beer with your friends on Saturday night and came home on Sunday afternoon.

— Paul Bronks (@slendersherbet.bsky.social) 2026-05-17T18:11:52.901Z

A lovely roadrunner. I once had such an encounter while camping in Death Valley. I fed it lettuce.

RoadrunnerPalooza continues… I had a nice encounter with a juvenile yesterday morning. Note nictitating membrane covering its eye.

— Mike Henry (@onlyveesaz.bsky.social) 2026-05-12T13:34:46.913Z

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